Devastated Julian Dykes has cut himself off from the world after learning that his pregnant wife and best friend were killed in a nail bomb attack.

The Soho bomb blast victim woke up from a three week coma at the weekend to be told that wife Andrea and friend John Light were both killed in the explosion.

Andrea, 27, was four months pregnant with their first child. Now Andrea's parents Trevor and Frances Hogg have told how their son-in-law cannot cope with the tragedy.

Mr Hogg, of Boyles Court, Colchester, said: "He has shut himself off from everyone. He had his screen pulled around him and will only see his mum and dad. He doesn't even want to talk to us or his own brother."

The tragedy happened when a bomb exploded in the busy Admiral Duncan pub in the West End four weeks ago.

Andrea, Julian and their friends took the full brunt of the explosion. John, Andrea and another friend, Nicholas Moore, were found dead under the rubble.

Counsellors have been to see Julian in the intensive care unit at University College Hospital in London, but he is still struggling to face up to what he has lost.

"It is absolutely terrible for Julian," said Mr Hogg. "We went to see him on Sunday, but he was in no fit state to cope with what had happened. We were only allowed to stay for a couple of minutes and he couldn't even speak.

"You can't imagine what it must be like for him. He's in total shock. The only people he ever really talked to were Andrea and John Light, and now they're both gone."

He added: "He would never really show his emotions to anyone else. We used to have a laugh and a joke together, but he would never tell anyone but them what he was feeling. I don't know how he's going to cope with this."

The Hoggs are also trying to come to terms with the death of their daughter and their unborn grandchild.

"It's unbearable," said Mr Hogg. "She's gone and we're finding it very hard to cope.

"She used to come round here with Julian all the time. We used to sunbathe together in the back garden."

He added: "I remember a time when I needed two extra players for my darts team, so I invited them out for a drink and didn't tell them that they were going to play.

"Neither of them had ever played darts before and they both won. Julian said he had never been so scared and Andrea did a lap of honour round the pub, kissing everyone.

"I will never forget it. She was an absolute diamond."

The couple are determined to remember Andrea as the caring, happy woman that she was.

"Frances and I decided to watch the video of their wedding the other night," said Trevor. "It was difficult, but it really made us laugh because she was so happy and funny. That's how we will remember her."

Now that Julian, a computer operator, has regained consciousness, he will have to decide when and where Andrea will be buried. The couple shared a home together in Wivenhoe and Andrea was a Catholic.

"If he wants to come to the funeral, it will be several more months, because he won't be out of hospital for weeks," said Mr Hogg.

Julian, 26, is still in a critical condition after having surgery to remove nails lodged in his lungs.

His hands, which took the full force of the blast, are recovering well.

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